View Full Version : Holiday 2013 in France and Italy
Some pics of our recent holiday abroad.... First up is a little French cafe, where we had a few drinkies, in an ancient and picturesque village called Sainte-Eulalie-d'Olt in South Eastern France, about 150km from the Italian border:
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Elsewhere in Sainte-Eulalie-d'Olt:
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Little hotel/restaurant where we stayed and ate that night:
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An interesting door knocker/letter box, found on one of the houses in the village:
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Crossing the Colle Dell'Agnello mountain pass over the Alps from France to Italy:
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Well, the car's made it this far!!
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Der still be snow here....
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Scary roads!! :eek:
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The beautiful and unspoiled area of the Cinque Terre (five lands) in the Liguria area of Italy, where we spent 4 days of our holiday. This is Vernazza, where we were based:
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At night - and still around 28°C! We were sitting here, sipping champagne, just chilling, taking in the scenery and absorbing the beautiful tranquility of the setting. It was so relaxing:
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Loads more pics later when I can be arsed uploading them!
Absolutely beautiful Marco, you have a real eye for composing a photo mate, and how wonderful it is to see that such characterful and lustrous places still exist in this silicon and plastic rat-race of a world. ;)
Cheers, Dave. Glad you like that part of the world. Getting away from it all is what we enjoy most! Actually, Del took most of the pics :)
Here are some more... Again, Vernazza at night:
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Other areas of Vernazza during daylight:
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Would you fancy tending these vines:
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:eek: :eek:
An idyllic place to enjoy breakfast (the Club Deck in our hotel, where we munched pastries and sipped cappuccinos every morning):
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Riomaggiore, as seen from the boat which ferried you from one 'land' to the other:
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Same with Manarola:
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Rocks on Manarola:
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More of Riomaggiore:
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A beautiful secluded bay in Corneglia:
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Corneglia streets:
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A wee cat that was dead to the world (but in reality simply sound asleep)!
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A great little restaurant in Corneglia where we ate extremely well (amazing home-made Ravioli and rabbit with red wine and olives):
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:cool: More pics to follow!
Marco.
I could comfortably live there, it would be right up my street, and what a lovely place to sit and have breakfast, WOW!!! :cool:
p.s. Please pass my comments about the photos on to Del as they are lovely ;)
Marco, that looks so idyllic, very nice indeed... glad you had a good holiday :)
Cheers, chaps. Dave, the view from there having breakfast was simply stunning... Nice place to 'dive bomb' off, too, if you fancied a dip (although you might not live to tell the tale)!!! :eek: :eyebrows:
Ok, some more pics. Last of the 'five lands' in the Cinque Terre is Monterosso sul Mare, which was nice, but a little too busy and a typical beach resort for us:
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On the more positive side, it also had an old town section, full of quaint little shops, bars and restaurants, which was more up our street:
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Ok, back to Tuscany for a bit... The view from our balcony:
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An old monastry, way up in the hills above Gallicano, in Tuscany, which also has a superb restaurant above it (pics of that later):
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Inside the church, attached to the monastry:
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...and the superb little restaurant at the top, specialising in home-made tagliatelle with wild boar sauce - yum, yum, and also where they serve the most amazing Chianti-style local red wine! :)
Shame the pic was taken on the one and only day we had torrential rain....
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More later. Off to church now.
Del has a good eye there Marco . . . . how did she end up with you? :bum:
Welcome back head daftee - nice shots too :D
Audio Al
11-08-2013, 09:25
Welcome back Marco
Your holiday destination looks lovely
Please it went off trouble free :)
Del has a good eye there Marco . . . . how did she end up with you? :bum:
Welcome back head daftee - nice shots too :D
Hehehe.... Cheers, chaps! Okies, this is the penultimate bunch. A superb little Trattoria, way off the beaten track, where they serve 14-course Sunday lunches (most are just little 'tastes' of the restaurant's delicacies), UNLIMITED WINE, white or red - and all for 25 Euros a head!! :eek: :D
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Our day trip to the beautiful walled city of Lucca (the nearest large town to Barga, where my family come from). Only problem was, it was 40°C that day and almost too hot to move!
Porta Santa Maria, where one enters the town:
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Inside the town itself:
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Random pics from various Italian villages:
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We seen a cracking stone built wood-fired pizza oven, which we'd like to build and put in our garden at home, and so we took a picture of it:
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Awesome!! :exactly:
Lastly (from Italy), a lovely little medieval village where we spent the day, near the skiing resort of Abetone, and later had dinner at night, called Cutigliano:
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Restaurant where we ate that evening, shown during the day and at night:
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The Grand Wazoo
11-08-2013, 21:05
Nice Marco, it looks like it was a great trip. A lot of driving though!
Ok, folks, this is the last lot of pics. First stop on the journey from Italy back to the UK was just after we crossed over the border at Susa and climbed up into the beautiful Col de Mont Cenis. I'd driven around 450 miles that day, so I was pretty desperate to stop, and so we found this rather basic but charming little hotel, way up in the hills.
I think my dad was checking to see if the car was still in one piece, after going round hairpin bends and climbing up narrow roads until we were over 2000 metres high, with a boot crammed full of wine and goodies and a roof box packed full with suitcases and clothes...! :eyebrows:
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Col de Mont Cenis:
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Moving further into France, we then crossed over the even more spectacular Col D'Iseran, from Lanslebourg into the famous Val D'Isere, and onto Bourg St Maurice:
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Various views from the driving position (you can see the Merc badge on the bonnet, in each pic, if you look closely):
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Arriving in the historic town of Poligny, deep in the Jura mountains, late in the afternoon and after another long drive. We were lucky to find this charming little hotel with some free rooms:
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Some pics from around Poligny:
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Strange things on the pavements:
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:cool:
Marco.
walpurgis
11-08-2013, 23:13
Some very nice spots & shots there Marco.
I could tell the pictures taken in France so easily. The place has a look all of its own.
You obviously use a decent camera. What is it?
Nice Marco, it looks like it was a great trip. A lot of driving though!
Hi Chris, yup. In total the return trip from Wrexham was just under 3000 miles!
However, I enjoyed it very much, even though in some parts I was rather tired. We always like to have access to a car during our holidays, even if it's a case of flying somewhere and hiring one. We couldn't stand being stuck in the same place for weeks, or suffer the hassle of relying on public transport.
Also, a trip to Europe wouldn't be the same without returning with copious quantities of edible (and drinkable) goodies! Lunch today featured much of this :eyebrows:
Marco.
Some very nice spots & shots there Marco.
I could tell the pictures taken in France so easily. The place has a look all of its own.
You obviously use a decent camera. What is it?
Hi Geoff, cheers, dude. It's just Del's cheap and cheerful Canon digital camera. We've been very pleased with the results it has produced :)
Marco.
walpurgis
11-08-2013, 23:44
Well there's no knocking the quality of the piccies Marco, they look excellent and that's coming from a serious photographer!
That's good to know. It's a Canon PowerShot SD1300IS. Cost about £120, and seems to do the job nicely :)
Marco.
Modern compact cameras continue to surprise me. We have a 12mp Samsung somet or other bought from Argos a couple of years ago and it has the most amazing macro facility. We paid 60 quid for it IIRC...
wiicrackpot
12-08-2013, 09:34
I am gonna be a bit critical here, not a criticism of Del's and Marco's camera work, good as they are but i can't help notice a hazy blue tinge to it's quality,
thats where DSLR's wins over point and shoot cams, pop on a UV filter or Polariser (can't remember which) and colour saturation will be better.
Peace.
walpurgis
12-08-2013, 10:07
I am gonna be a bit critical here, not a criticism of Del's and Marco's camera work, good as they are but i can't help notice a hazy blue tinge to it's quality,
thats where DSLR's wins over point and shoot cams, pop on a UV filter or Polariser (can't remember which) and colour saturation will be better.
Peace.
Photos used directly from digital cameras have varying colour casts, some warmer, some cooler. This is not a fault, just a characteristic and if desired can be modified easily with a simple image processing application.
The use of filters reduces the amount of light available to the camera and may slow it down. Polarising filters, whilst having some nice effects, cut available light a lot, possibly to the point where tripod mounting becomes best due to the longer exposure time, depending on the camera, choice of settings and light conditions.
Add on filters for compacts are usually expensive. Easier to use a decent (free) image processing software suite. I use FastStone Image Viewer.
I have a mate who is heavily into photography and he has become quite adept at identifying the manufacturer of a camera just by studying a digital image. When asked how he does it he says it arises from lots experience and that anyone could do it given time ;)
wiicrackpot
12-08-2013, 10:21
Photos used directly from digital cameras have varying colour casts, some warmer, some cooler. This is not a fault, just a characteristic and if desired can be modified easily with a simple image processing application.
The use of filters reduces the amount of light available to the camera and may slow it down. Polarising filters, whilst having some nice effects, cut available light a lot, possibly to the point where tripod mounting becomes best due to the longer exposure time, depending on the camera, choice of settings and light conditions.
Add on filters for compacts are usually expensive. Easier to use a decent (free) image processing software suite. I use FastStone Image Viewer.
Bow to your greater knowledge Geoff, i still think a Polariser would definitely help with clearing up the lack of detail in the back ground,
once you rotate and hit the zone, colours will be better rendited and will take away a layer of haziness to turn it into deep blue,
it would really bring the landscapes from the alps to life,don't think reduced light will be an issue in what looks like splitting sunshine,
besides the pics are mostly shot in infinity so don't see it affecting depth of field,a Polariser will definitely help with shots from inside the car,
it would take away the reflection from the windscreen for sure, while i am on, can't help but mention the shot with the cyclist,
if only Marco waited till the car approached the cyclist to come into shot into the bottom 3rd of the frame, it would be perfect.
Very good all the same. :cool:
walpurgis
12-08-2013, 10:24
I have a mate who is heavily into photography and he has become quite adept at identifying the manufacturer of a camera just by studying a digital image. When asked how he does it he says it arises from lots experience and that anyone could do it given time ;)
I'm very sceptical about that Dave. Your friend may just about be able to tell unprocessed shots taken with his own cameras apart, but to do this across the board? I doubt it.
wiicrackpot
12-08-2013, 10:25
I have a mate who is heavily into photography and he has become quite adept at identifying the manufacturer of a camera just by studying a digital image.
:eek: ...... does he have a life. :D
I'm very sceptical about that Dave. Your friend may just about be able to tell unprocessed shots taken with his own cameras apart, but to do this across the board? I doubt it.
He's not often wrong Geoff. It's something to do with colour cast and a couple of other technical aspects I can't begin to understand as I only dabble. He doesn't claim to be able identify individual models but he can certainly identify whether a photo has been shot with say a Canon or Olympus camera :)
walpurgis
12-08-2013, 10:32
don't see it affecting depth of field,a Polariser will definitely help with shots from inside the car
The reduced light available to the camera with a polarising filter demands a larger aperture, so for just about any given situation, the depth of field is reduced in comparison to not using the filter.
Moving subject shots require fast shutter speeds. If you use a polariser, the light available to the camera is drastically reduced, demanding a wider aperture and slower shutter speed for the exposure, increasing the risk of blurred pictures.
walpurgis
12-08-2013, 10:35
He's not often wrong Geoff. It's something to do with colour cast and a couple of other technical aspects I can't begin to understand as I only dabble. He doesn't claim to be able identify individual models but he can certainly identify whether a photo has been shot with say a Canon or Olympus camera :)
Yes I know how it works Dave. I can generally tell which of my cameras took my photos and different manufacturers cameras do have their own characteristics. He must have a better eye than me though, to do it for each make.
Some great pics Marco & Del - looks like you all had a lovely time. :)
The reduced light available to the camera with a polarising filter demands a larger aperture, so for just about any given situation, the depth of field is reduced in comparison to not using the filter.
Moving subject shots require fast shutter speeds. If you use a polariser, the light available to the camera is drastically reduced, demanding a wider aperture and slower shutter speed for the exposure, increasing the risk of blurred pictures.
A polarise usually reduces light by about 2 stops IME - if you're shooting outside in bright sunshine you shouldn't really have too much problem stopping down for depth of field or using a fast-ish shutter speed for action shots - unless it is something very fast you want to "freeze" - IMO the effect particularly on blue sky and water reflections is worth the trade off. :)
wiicrackpot
15-08-2013, 19:49
Some great pics Marco & Del - looks like you all had a lovely time. :)
A polarise usually reduces light by about 2 stops IME - if you're shooting outside in bright sunshine you shouldn't really have too much problem stopping down for depth of field or using a fast-ish shutter speed for action shots - unless it is something very fast you want to "freeze" - IMO the effect particularly on blue sky and water reflections is worth the trade off. :)
Hence i said it shouldn't be an issue as it was in splitting sunshine. :)
I disagree with your 'trade off' for Blue Sky and water reflection, the Polariser will give you as blue a sky as you'll ever get,
but the trade off is depending on the angle, it will take away the water reflection too.
Some great pics Marco & Del - looks like you all had a lovely time. :)
Cheers, dude. We did. It was good to recharge the batteries, and on this holiday we seen some truly stunning mountain scenery (in particular) that we'll never forget! :cool:
Marco.
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